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Major Patreon Fee Changes (Patreon)
Content
Hello! I'm sure you're getting many posts like this in your inbox given the recent news, but I'm uploading one anyway because it's better safe than sorry!
What is going on? What is happening to Patreon?
Apple is requiring that Patreon switch to their iOS in-app purchase system starting this November, or risk being removed from Apple’s App Store. More than 40% of Patreon’s users come from their iOS app, leaving Patreon with no choice but to make drastic changes to their platform in order to appease Apple.
Patreon is one of thousands unable to operate their business how they wish due to Apple’s payment processing requirements. Which, in turn, is affecting how thousands of creators on Patreon operate their businesses.
Opinions aside, here are the facts:
Everything stated here takes effect this November.
All Patreon creators will be switched to subscription billing, where patrons are charged each month on the day they subscribed. No more 1st-of-the-month billing nor per-creation billing. Creators can opt out until November 2025, forfeiting all new iOS patronage, after which they must switch to subscription billing or close their Patreon.
Thankfully Tamberlane is already on the subscription billing system, so no changes here for any of you, for this part. Unfortunately this significantly hurts many creators, including our friends.
All new iOS patron subscriptions will cost patrons 40-50% more. No, that is not a typo. Apple payments have a 30% fee. The remaining 10-20% increase is there to protect creators’ income, keeping it the same as it is now. For example, a $10 pledge will cost you $14.50 instead. Creators have the option of paying the fee instead of the patrons, but then Apple would be taking 30-40% of the creator’s income. Hell no to that.
Patreon’s payment processing can take up to 7 days maximum, allowing creators and patrons to handle payment issues swiftly. This also protects creators from providing rewards to those unable to pay. Apple’s payment processing takes up to 75 days, roughly two and a half months. As you can imagine, this is terrible for creators across the board. Patrons are affected too, since payment issues can now void entire months worth of patronage. In such scenarios, the patron will lose claimed rewards and fail to support those they intended to.
We strongly suggest ditching the iOS Patreon app in favor of using the browser on your Apple device. Otherwise you are paying far more than the creator will receive.
Patreon agrees with this approach. To quote an announcement they made to their Discord:
Q: Why can’t Patreon tell people to sign up on web at in-app checkout?
A: Apple has been extremely clear: Patreon is not able to redirect members from the mobile app to the web. If Patreon did this, the app could be removed from the App Store. However, as a creator, you are able to post any message you would like to your members on your Patreon (via posts, your About section, messages, etc), in accordance with our community guidelines.
Please help creators and their patrons by spreading the word.
Patreon is not the enemy here. Apple is the one enforcing these requirements.
If you wish to provide feedback or thought to Patreon regarding these changes and events, they have a dedicated inbox for such.
https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=28810449009677
If you would like to learn more, Patreon has written many genuinely good articles about this.
Everything there is to know, alongside links to further reading:
https://news.patreon.com/articles/understanding-apple-requirements-for-patreon
Patreon’s commitment to supporting creators migrating to subscription billing:
An “as simple as it gets” summary of what patrons and creators should know:
https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/27992185537037-How-iOS-in-app-purchases-work-for-fans